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Dominion War
, fought during the Dominion War.]] The Dominion War was a two-year (late 2373-late 2375) interstellar conflict between the Dominion and the Federation Alliance that consumed the entire Alpha Quadrant in one of the most destructive wars in galactic history. Prelude The Federation-Dominion Cold War was the three year period of Dominion calculated successes at destabilizing the Alpha Quadrant. The Dominion was able to all but obliterate the Obsidian Order and severely weaken the Tal Shiar (see: Battle of the Omarion Nebula), nearly caused a war between the Federation and the Tzenkethi, only later to succeed in causing a conflict between the Federation and the Klingons (see: Second Federation-Klingon War), while concurrently causing a conflict between the Klingons and the Cardassians (see Klingon-Cardassian War). A Federation-Klingon conflict was resolved when it was discovered that Klingon General Martok was a Changeling. (DS9: "Apocalypse Rising") Several months later, however, the Dominion gained a physical foothold in the Alpha Quadrant through an alliance with Gul Dukat and the Cardassian Union, arranged in mid-2373. They immediately began sending fleets of warships and supply vessels through the Bajoran wormhole and into Cardassian territory on a weekly basis. The Klingons could not stand against such a foe, and withdrew from Cardassian space. The Khitomer accords were put back into effect; war was inevitable, and only the Federation-Klingon alliance stood against the forces of the Dominion. (DS9: "By Inferno's Light") The fortification of the Cardassian Union, combined with the securing of non-aggression treaties with notable powers such as the Miradorn, Romulans, Tholians and Bajorans, made Dominion intentions clear. The Federation was forced to act, but could not present the aggressive stance of something so bold as a preemptive strike. Instead, the decision was made to mine the Bajoran wormhole to prevent further Dominion reinforcements from arriving. (DS9: "Rapture", "Call to Arms") The First Blow The maneuver was sure to provoke the Dominion into attack, and this end was achieved. The Dominion attacked Deep Space 9 and attempted to prevent the activation of the minefield. They failed, and as the minefield became active, the Federation-Klingon alliance dispatched a task force to attack the Dominion shipyards at Torros III. Their mission was successful, though the Dominion won the Battle of Deep Space 9 and held the station for the next several months. It would prove to be of little use during the war, however, as the Starfleet officers who fled the station had disabled much of its equipment, and the Bajoran contingent fomented an active (though subtle) resistance. (DS9: "Behind the Lines") The early part of 2374 found the Dominion trying its hardest to disable the minefield that stood in front of the wormhole. By the second quarter of that year, it was known that they were close to achieving this, and Captain Benjamin Sisko told Starfleet that the station's recapture must be seen as the top priority of the war. The station was retaken (with the aid of the Prophets) during Operation Return. It was the first major alliance victory of the war, and spelled the end of Dukat's leadership of Cardassia. His underling, Damar, replaced him. (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels") The war entered a temporary lull at this point; the Dominion retreated to within Cardassian space, and activity along the border was rare. During this lull, the Dominion sued for peace with the Federation, even offering to withdraw their forces from a sizable amount of territory which would be ceded back. An analysis by a genetically engineered think-tank led by Doctor Julian Bashir determined that the Dominion was merely trying to hold on to the Kabrel system, which would allow them to produce ketracel-white in the Alpha Quadrant, addressing the supply problem they were facing without wormhole access. However, Bashir's think tank projected that it was actually favorable to take the territory without a fight while they had the chance, despite giving the Dominion the ability to produce ketracel-white in the process, because it would be more difficult for them to retake all of the Dominion's large amount of controlled space without incredible casualties if they did not. Although the Dominion would use the opportunity to regroup its forces, they warned, the Federation and Klingons were in far more need of a respite than the Dominion, and would take away more from a short pause in fighting. Weighing the pros and cons, the Federation accepted the peace proposal as a result. However, some weeks later fighting resumed (DS9: "Resurrection", "Statistical Probabilities") However, even with this victory, the Federation and Klingons were struggling to hold their own. The Dominion took Betazed in 2374, and it was clear that more help would be needed if the alliance had any hope of victory. The Romulan Star Empire had to this point declared itself neutral in the conflict, though they were allowing Dominion ships passage through their space. Captain Sisko undertook an act of coercion with the help of Garak, implicating the Dominion in an assassination plot against a high ranking Romulan senator. His ploy was successful, and the Romulans joined the alliance. (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight") It was with this added firepower that the alliance was able to win the First Battle of Chin'toka in 2374, taking the strategically important system in their first major incursion into Dominion territory. (DS9: "Tears of the Prophets") One very important event was changing the shape of the war away from the front lines: a debilitating disease was attacking the Founders themselves. It would later be claimed that Section 31 had a hand in the infection. The Founders' abilities as leaders were being compromised just as their military was taking severe punishment from the emboldened alliance. (DS9: "Treachery, Faith, and the Great River") Counterattack and Victory With Romulan reinforcement, the alliance had forced something of a stalemate. Early and middle 2375 was spent with neither side offering a firm push forward into the other. To add to the Dominion's troubles, Damar was openly criticizing the war effort and deriding the Founders' leadership. It seemed to him that Cardassian troops were withstanding the worst of the assault, and statistics proved him correct. Dominion leaders decided that a change was necessary, and in late 2375 they sought the help of the Breen, a mysterious but powerful race. In the ensuing months, the Breen took more and more Cardassian responsibility, leadership—even territory. The tide had turned in favor of the Dominion, but Cardassians grew more restless by the day. (DS9: "Til Death Do Us Part") With assistance from Breen energy-draining weapons, the Dominion won the Second Battle of Chin'toka and regained control of the system. Starfleet and Romulan vessels were decimated by the new technology, forcing the Klingons — whose ships were immune to the weapon — to hold the front lines until a countermeasure could be found. The Breen even staged an attack on Earth (the Raid on San Francisco), dealing a heavy blow to Federation morale. (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil") The Dominion's obvious favoring of the Breen finally frustrated Damar to the point that he formed an active resistance on Cardassia. He first attempted a military coup d'etat, but Gul Revok betrayed him and the rebellion was quickly shut down. Damar, with help from Commander Kira Nerys and Garak, transitioned to an underground civilian resistance. It was a success, and public anger against the Dominion was rising by the day. (DS9: "The Dogs of War") The alliance also successfully countered the Breen energy weapon, and with this, the tactical advantage returned to their side. The Dominion withdrew to Cardassian space with designs on rebuilding from behind fortified borders. The determination was made that the best hopes of success for an invasion were now, before the Dominion was allowed to strengthen itself any further. A three-pronged attack on Cardassia Prime was to be led by Captain Sisko, Admiral William Ross and now-Chancellor Martok. (DS9: "The Dogs of War") The Cardassian resistance was alive and well, and knew of the impending invasion. They planned massive work stoppages and sabotage to prevent the Dominion from having ground support during the battle. The sabotage of power to the Dominion headquarters prompted a swift and brutal reprisal — the massacre of the population of Lakarian City. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind") The Battle of Cardassia was one of the largest space battles in galactic history, and was won by the alliance with unexpected help — Cardassian commanders received the news of Lakarian City's fate and turned on the Dominion. The Dominion responded typically — the head Founder ordered the Jem'Hadar to offer no quarter and fight to the last man, as well as commanding the annihilation of the entire planetary population of Cardassia Prime. Finally, members of the resistence were able to break into Dominion headquarters with Kira and Garak. Odo thought he could change the head founder's mind by meeting with her so he beamed to their location. He convinced the head Founder to give up the war by linking with her and thus curing her of the virus. He also offered to return to the Great Link and cure the virus that had been crippling his people. The war was officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Bajor, and all Dominion forces returned to the Gamma Quadrant. (DS9: "What You Leave Behind") Foremost in the aftermath, however, was the state of Cardassia Prime. Eight hundred million civilians were dead, and the entire Cardassian Union was in danger of total collapse. The Alpha Quadrant had lost a major power, and the galacto-political ramifications of the war would continue to be seen for many years to come. Other battles *Battle of Torros III *Battle of Betazed *Battle of Ricktor Prime Associated Events * Raid on San Francisco (2375) * Cardassian Rebellion of 2375 See also *Starships in the Dominion War *Story arcs Novels *Star Trek: The Dominion War *Tales of the Dominion War External Links *Dominion War at Wikipedia de:Dominion-Krieg fr:Guerre du Dominion nl:Dominion Oorlog sv:Dominionkriget